Mandatory AM/PM Sunday attendence for Membership

[PrettyboyAndy]

Hello friends,

The church in which my family and I were considering for membership (Reformed Baptist) requires both a AM and a PM attendance. It is part of their membership requirements.

I feel this could be legalistic, any thoughts? I don't want to attend both AM and PM services, I am more of an AM service person myself.

 

[High Fidelity]

Seems a bit much but I suppose only you can make that decision.

Sunday is, after all, the Lord's Day and so long as both services are different sermons then I can see it being a good thing.

 

[friend of]

Will they chase you out of town with a pitchfolk if you can't make both appointments?

Sounds harsh.

 

[brinny]

It's difficult for families, and especially for children, who have school the next day, etc.

It's a tough call, i pray that God guides you in this decision.

God bless you.

 

[Tigger45]

Making it mandatory is a bit much to me and that's considering I like going to worship.

 

[AvgJoe]

Definitely legalistic. Personally, I'd find a better church to attend.

 

[Albion]

Hello friends,

The church in which my family and I were considering for membership (Reformed Baptist) requires both a AM and a PM attendance. It is part of their membership requirements.

I feel this could be legalistic, any thoughts? I don't want to attend both AM and PM services, I am more of an AM service person myself.

I don't think there's any reason to think that such attendance is mandated by the Bible, but if you choose to join that church you will of course have to do things their way.

 

[RaymondG]

The Physical church can be run which any rules the owners/board decide to place on them.....Just like a Gym can place any rules they want on their memberships. If you dont like the rules, you have a right to pick a different Gym/church to pledge membership to..... It doesnt make the gym/church wrong for having the rule. Im sure their reasons are just in their own eyes.

 

[Big Drew]

Hello friends,

The church in which my family and I were considering for membership (Reformed Baptist) requires both a AM and a PM attendance. It is part of their membership requirements.

I feel this could be legalistic, any thoughts? I don't want to attend both AM and PM services, I am more of an AM service person myself.

Wow...never heard of that...I mean, regular attendance being required for membership, sure...but I take regular to mean you attend as much as possible. What if you have someone in the congregation that works in retail, or is a nurse or something like that, and they have to work on Sundays. Are we going to tell them they're not welcome to be members because of the line of work they're in? That doesn't sound very Christlike, IMO.

 

[Willie T]

This thread is a delayed "April Fool's" joke, right?

 

[Standing Up]

Hello friends,

The church in which my family and I were considering for membership (Reformed Baptist) requires both a AM and a PM attendance. It is part of their membership requirements.

I feel this could be legalistic, any thoughts? I don't want to attend both AM and PM services, I am more of an AM service person myself.

What's the benefit of membership? Go in the AM. Don't stop because they're trying to burden your family.

 

[bling]

I attended a church where the leadership hoped no body would show up, because we were all stopping on the road to church to help someone (be Good Samaritans).

That church grow rapidly and when we went to two morning meetings the preach gave us a choice of two different sermons for the morning service and everyone showed up for the first lesson and stayed for the second lesson (standing room only for both). The elders pleaded with us to just go to one service, but they were hypocrites because they were going to both services, so everyone went back to going to both, so the preacher said he would have to just repeat the sermon twice, so we would hopeful go to only one service. Everyone that was not on some project would show up in the evening, so why the requirement, just poor preaching?

 

[PrettyboyAndy]

This thread is a delayed "April Fool's" joke, right?

no it's honestly not

 

[Greg J.]

The trait that some churches have (that I won't attend) is when they try to solve what they see as problems by trying to control people. There are undoubtedly real problems they want to avoid, such as having members who are spiritual couch potatoes, but controlling-type solutions can never work. When implemented they immediately start taking a toll on people, and it just builds up until it explodes. Such things should never be started. They are common when leadership has more to do than they can handle and they give up dealing with everything with relationship skills. If people follow rules then they can know what is going on without having to deal with every individual situation. But it would be better to just accept their limits and turn the problem over to God, who might train the person for ten or twenty more years than she or he wanted to wait for the skills to handle it all.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Hello friends,

The church in which my family and I were considering for membership (Reformed Baptist) requires both a AM and a PM attendance. It is part of their membership requirements.

I feel this could be legalistic, any thoughts? I don't want to attend both AM and PM services, I am more of an AM service person myself.

It's best if they meet every day, either morning or evening/night, for 30 minutes to 4 hours as needed.
When everyone is full of joy, telling what JESUS has done for them already,
and helping, healing, and praying for one another,
the time won't seem like there's enough ! (people will stay late and arrive early every day!)

 

[ToBeLoved]

It seems to me like a control thing.

What is their reasoning? Do they have it on their webpage?

 

[Albion]

It seems to me like a control thing.

What is their reasoning? Do they have it on their webpage?

I think I know where you're coming from with that. The church may expect attendance both AM & PM. It may be urged on the members. But are they really obligated? It might be interesting to compare the attendance at both services or just ask various members.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Down the street at a church (an independent one),
there
used to
be a drug dealer's vehicle pull up every week, on 2nd day,
and
you
should have seen the line that formed ! with no advertising!

If the church has something BETTER than those drug pushers,
a
line
will form
with no advertising
also.
People will be EAGER to get in - to get what the people have !
Like
the
little children who pushed through the crowd to GET TO JESUS.
They wanted to GET TO JESUS.

So do people today. They need to GET TO JESUS. They need HIM, and want HIM and
they want to know HOW TO GET TO HIM.

< shrugs > just show them how to get to JESUS.
They will come.
They are already , or will be , HUNGRY and THIRSTY.
They will come and stay
when they are fed and given water of the word.

 

[brinny]

a church i used to attend, was rather rigid, and drove the members really hard in all kinds of ways, including a production at Easter, and the choir, etc.

One time during the production, several members fainted as they stood, in the part of angels, one after the other.

What i realized or what really became clear to me, is, if the Pastor and leadership are not "pasturing" their own sheep, but wearing them out in various ways, are not demonstrating a place of love, where all that is done, is by the "unction" of God. Jesus was and is our Good Shepherd. He CARED for the sheep. It requires flexibility, where grace and love and mercy supersede ALL else.

My prayers for you and your loved ones, brother, that God guides you to a place that reflects His grace prominently.

God bless you.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

I thnk in some commentaries on the NEW TESTAMENT<
the
Apostles and table workers, and others,
"worked their fingers to the bone" (in other words - they worked day and night
for the purpose of LIFE, for the GOSPEL'S SAKE -

like more recently, Corrie ten Boom and the community of believers and helpers with her in Germany - day and night
they worked tirelessly, and until exhausted,
day and night,
night and day,
always working tirelessly (without thought of stopping)
to save
one more soul.